Law enforcement authorities in Will County, Ill., are seeking whoever is responsible for injecting a foreign substance into a 3-year-old racing Quarter Horse’s neck.

Will County Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said that on Nov. 18 the animal’s owner, Ruben Flores, contacted sheriff’s deputies after the horse’s jockey discovered the animal (named Talented Magician) in his Peotone Township, Ill., barn with a large lump on the left side of his neck. Talented Magician was expected to compete in a high-dollar stakes race at Florida’s Hialeah Race Course in December.

"Mr. Flores believes someone tried to inject a substance into the horse’s carotid artery but missed," Hoffmeyer said. "(He) believes someone was trying to kill his horse."

A veterinarian was later called to the scene to examine the animal. Blood testing to identify the injected substance is under way, Hoffmeyer said